Apparatus for saving gas and oil from producing wells



Sept. 11, 1923. 1,467.512

v E. A. STARKE APPARATUS FOR SAVING GAS AND OIL FROM PRODUCING WELLS Filed Nov. 27 1922 a; i mg INVENTOR BY Rq/L M2,

ATTORNEYS d m-u; 1 23.

7 "liwhieh botheil end geeoceurs's' 45- clinationzto the'horizontehindiceted The oilfandges issuing from the welljfiel ss rn .3 i.

I ns o1 ream; monucme wm-ns duits, but etian inelination to the horizon- 1a tal-sreversedtotheir inclination. It consti- -Citizen Of thGEFUIIilZBd, a at tut s,- bothi e-final separating member and Berkeley tlie comit k; i mainedmarand the-gasr c iv rjpipe i 5 State-' ofgfielifornieeheye inxgentedaeentain Bipes I4, connect the separating" pipes 1 l new :and usefulz. g a provementsfiiiyppara-g end- 2, at" intervals from 1 their higher end i *Qihfrom Producingrrs zforia pertion of their length, These pipes ll in isfzi. specifi ilead fi oin thenpperf egosssectional area. of

-"' -1 'p 1'pe 'I,-' "'ii1t6wthe.upper cross; sectional area Ofi'g-PIPQ .2,,jndpjare subject to. control by may concem -B ldiownithat :IgJEnI -A. STARKE,

There is; also [a c in-teeth. between the bothl'niconnection with z producing wells; in U I pipes: Land -2, near ;their: wer' ends, b i My pi-esent l 'nve ;tio1 1 particularly relates 1 e k p I mensof the'pipe-(i; controlled by'a valvz .7 -to" a-nd=}eonsists ing improveinents;mponigthafi 1 Thisc'onnection may; be iised to return ctobei asstlr 1-2, to 'The.;,lo weii end of thegas receiver pipe 3 I ehpetentj *refei'eneefgie hereby-made conneetsjgwi hiitfie higher end of the aux-'- Thee iniproven ents'coihprise novel:

- relative errang'ement andconneetio of: the

sepegl ating' imembers;endiaxnove means; f

introdueing t he' well 'roduehi' Thefbbjeeteof iniproi meiitsi areto l 1 7 The outlet end of pipe lhes a. controllable bpttonbdis'c ange Qandaj controllable end diseha'rg A p 0 3.1 he. ou l tndfif P p I jpr'dvi'de fori'e-mere;effeetivegsep'agration;cand.i has a {0, trolleble end diseharge'fll; The 8- to introduce the welleproduefiiimderl :ieondioutlet end offi'eeeive pipe 3 a controL v 1 tidnfs 'wliich fcenduee to aindmihediaitetand lable end"; discharge. 12; these dis j ""itiatiemof iheg pei'atidn, :bjmavpide -ghergesrlezidtooilstonege tanks, not shown, 7

enden'cy oittithe'entm ing produt to: '01: gaotherjxsuiteble destination for", the 'oil; ue', to"its igh ressurei whichi'ten The." asireceiyelfapipe 3Jis rovided near its sup yioleiit ai' mien I tlet'zend withlaconti'olla lepipe 13 leadi eation o'f ztgasf .m'ein,;notshown, and'said pipe 3 pfi i t vbiffsepgl L ftedewithia sefety'valve 14-2 I m'p'anyi 'gidrawing 1 nre'gdiel in thereceiver pipe my-imptoved appaiatu reading glass in the separator .99- an?eliretion' qfi-the' ap fplaii'ofi th same: e s en elevatiqnof rthe ,utlehend, Fig, 4 is an elevetiomoi ztheiimlet end g endflofgthe mainsepenet- Fig. ,5,is e c tes section,'enlarged, on the portion of thesupply ipe 4o-line 5f'=5"ofgF-ig 21 v y' 17 whine I in thezseparating pipe 1,

f 1 is' a relat-iyely long,rreeumb'ent conduit,- and extend a distanfie'to be determined by say,*forfexample,' a.10'i neh pipe, constitutexperience; has .a continuous ldn itudingl ing. the initial separating member; As slit'18 'in its' bottom,' as' shown in i 5.

shown in Fig. 1,.this pipe lies ate slight in-lv The use .of the appateltus 1S asfol 1.09:

not shown; and with} which nneeted end enters tightly ground line ATAJ' V I through 'the supply pipe 17 into the main 2 is a. second relatively long'recumbent se'paratingipe l; .n'n'derthe presjsure of mndui -t'lying to one side ofthe-first'conduit. the well. fhave found in practise that) and at. an inclination jto'theihoi'izontal in when,-as formerl ,the "delivery of the well 50 the same direction, This conduit-may for product was whol yfromthe endlof the s'up-' the sake of example, be a pipe 4 inches in ply pipe, the product would whirl and often diameter,- andsaid pi e constitutes an aux-' with suflicient violence to emulslfy the iliai'y 'separatingmember. and oil,v thus producing a zone of-actlvity ,3 is erela'tively recumbent condiiit for a considerable distance, and thereby max- 0 say, for example, it pipe (finches in diame-.- teriall'y' reducing the effective length of the 5 tel. It lies to one side of" the othef co npipe But .by employing the bottom slittedv supply pipe 17, as herein shown, the velocity of the entering product is so reduced, that while the gas passes readily through the supplly pi a considerable portion of the liqui an solid components, such as sand pass through the slit and b ak up the swirlng tendency, so that a condition of relative quiet isgained much sooner than would be ssible otherwise. I have, in practice, ound this slitted supply ipe very effective, and in this connection wis to point out that such a feed pipe is available in the separatart whether used with an apparatus such as ere shown and with the particular product herein described, or in connection with .the se aration of other aggregates of a gaseous, iquid and solid nature. v The separation of the gas from the oil and'the other components such as sand takes place in the attenuatedchamber of the pipe 1, supplemented by-a like effect in pipes 2 and 3 and from these pipes the separated materials may be continuously withdrawn,

as in my former patented device.= But in the present improved arrangement, I find the result is heightened, both by having the connections 5 between the pipes 1 and 2 extend only for a portion of their length, in

stead of, as formerly, for their entire'length thus providing greater zones of .quiet; and b having the-gas receiving pipe at an inc ination to the reverse of the other pipes, which arran ement gives the gas a greater freedom of, ow to its discharge. 4 r

I claim:

1. An apparatus for the described pur--' pose, comprisi a recumbent separating pipe; a supply plpe leading from a source of aggregate under pressure, and fitting tightly through one end of the separating pipe, said supply pipe extending within said] separating ipe and being longitudinally slitted in the ttom of its said extending portion; a de livery .pipe leading from the upper cross sectional area of said separating pipe for carrying ofi the gaseous component of the aggregate; and .means for discharging the liquid component 'from the lower cross sec: tional area of said separating pipe.

nae-1,512

2. An apparatus for the described purpose, comprisinga' plurality of recumbent separating pipes, lying at an inclination in the same direction; a plurality ofpipes connecting successively the upper cross sectional means for discharging the liquid component of the aggregate from the ,lower cross sectionalareas of said recumbent pipes.

3..An 'apparatus for the described ur- I pose, comprising a plurality "of recum nt separating pipes, lyingat an inclination in the same direction; a plurality of pipes connecting successively the upper cross sectional areas of said pipes, at intervals throughout a 'portion. of the length of said separating pipes at their higher ends, for passing the gaseous component from one separating pipe to the next; afinal recumbent piperlying at an inclination the reverse of-that of the sepawith the higher end of the last of said separating pipes, for receiving the gaseous component therefrom; a supply pipe leading from a source of ag gate under pressure and fitted tightly through the higher end of the first of said separating pipes, said supply pipe extending within said first separatmg pipe and being longitudinally slitted in rating pipes and connected at its lower end the bottom of its said extending portion;

and means for discharging the liquid component of the aggregate from the lower cross sectional areas of said recumbent pipe s.

. In testimony name to this specification.

nnrc A. STARKE.

whereof I have signed my 

